I am a Cardiff-trained and NCTJ-qualified journalist with experience working across national and regional news, where I have gained excellent reporting and editing skills while working in a fast-paced environment.

Currently, I work as a freelance news reporter for the Local Storytelling Exchange and pitch exclusive content each week. Some of my original pieces include a profile on Britain’s first vegan fish and chip shop and a protest in Deal against polluted seawater, which made the front cover of the Dover Express.

However, I have a solid background in covering breaking health news for major outlets such as the Mail Online, The Independent and Express.co.uk.

While at Express.co.uk, I was an assistant editor for the overnight shift and frequently covered major events. These included the Syrian gas attack in Douma, an Israeli missile attack on Iranian air bases, a Nato air strike on Syria, a fire breaking out in Trump Tower in New York and also major terrorist attacks in Australia, America and other parts of the world.

My work requires a good understanding of SEO and ensuring that articles are ranked well on Google to get the most traffic possible for my stories.

Yours sincerely,

Matthew Drake

A challenge, variety, a fast-paced environment, the ability to grow and evolve and the opportunity to work from home.

I am actively looking for a new career path and can see the tremendous opportunity this provides. Also, the fact it is work from home and flexible hours is a luxury that is hard to come by.

Because of this, I am enthusiastic to work hard and showcase the many skills I have acquired throughout my career.

When I first worked in journalism, I worked a 11pm-7am shift in London. I commuted every single day from Doncaster, which is in the north of England and around 171 miles away. What's more, I also worked as an assistant editor, a role that required a high level of concentration, which was difficult considering how tired I was all the time.

But I survived this and it made me stronger.